Microsoft and Big Data: Survey Shows Top 11 Trends

62 Percent

Almost two-thirds—62 percent of—respondents to Microsoft's big data survey said they currently store at least 100 terabytes of data.

The explosion of mobile devices, apps, the cloud and the Internet has ushered in the era of big data—a collection of data so large and complex that it becomes difficult to process using traditional database management or processing tools. Microsoft surveyed more than 280 U.S. IT decision makers at midsized to large organizations on the topic of big data and uncovered several key trends. One is that big data is a big deal. Transforming big data into insights has become a top priority. The challenge is how to manage the rapid increase in data volume, velocity and variety and how to leverage advanced analytics to understand and gain insights from this wealth of information. Driven by the rapid increase in data volume, velocity and variety—including structured and unstructured data—companies are increasingly testing and deploying big data solutions. These solutions help glean insights from the reams of complex data, so companies can make fast, informed decisions faster than the competition. This eWEEK slide show looks at key trends from the Microsoft survey.